Body found after female ranger killed by croc

UPDATE: NT POLICE have recovered a woman's body after she was taken by a saltwater crocodile on Friday morning.

Police were notified about the attack which happened just after 10:30am at the billabong near Gan Gan, 206km south west of Yirrkala.

Officers from Lake Evella and Nhulunbuy worked with local rangers and community members to search nearby waterways for the woman.

The ranger's body and the crocodile were found just before 5pm less than one kilometre from the scene of the attack.

Police said the woman was not working but was fishing with family members when she was taken.

The crocodile was destroyed by local Indigenous rangers and the woman's body was recovered.

EARLIER: A FEMALE ranger has been taken by a crocodile in front of stunned onlookers in a remote region of the Northern Territory.

The woman was attacked while on the job about 10 this morning near the community of Gangan, about 206km south west of Yirrkala. It is not yet known if her body has been located or if a search is underway. News.com.au understands police are enroute via dirt road to the area to conduct a search but were at least a few hours away mid afternoon Friday.

"NT WorkSafe has been notified that a female Aboriginal Ranger has been taken by a crocodile approximately 206km south west of Yirrkala," a statement from the government organisation read."

NT WorkSafe has commenced an investigation into the incident after receiving reports of the attack from multiple witnesses.

A NT Police spokeswoman told news.com.au no further information was yet available.

The circumstances surrounding the incident have not been confirmed due to the remoteness of the location and difficulty relaying information.

CareFlight, which is usually tasked to assist with medical situations in remote locations, did not attend the scene. A CareFlight spokeswoman said the organisation had been stood down from responding as information supplied to them indicated the person was missing.